Ex Beatle Wants
to Make Animated Film
(by digitalmediafx.com) Ex Beatle Sir Paul McCartney made a surprise appearance
to view a 13 minute animated clip he helped produce called "Tuesday"
at the Venice Film Festival. McCartney then talked to reporters about
plans to create a full length animated feature in the style of "traditional
Disney animation."

Right now McCartney
is speaking with several animation studios to produce a film that would
star his voice and music. McCartney says he has loved animation for decades,
especially enjoying his involvement with 1968's The Yellow Submarine.

McCartney hinted that
he could do a better job than most of the animated material currently
being produced in Hollywood. He says that he wants to get back to traditional
roots in his movie and cited his favorite animated film as Disney's Lady
and the Tramp.

Details about the
story/plot of his planned animated movie have not been released. As McCartney
has been knighted, his official full title is Sir Paul McCartney.

Robotic Animation
Comes Home (animated series also planned)(by
digitalmediafx.com) Sony has introduced a new advanced model of its robotic
animation dogs (called AIBO) and has lowered the price to around $850.
The latest robots include new advanced software enabled features such
as photo-taking options, a 75 word vocabulary, new AIBO tonal language
options, and interactive and expressive sensors.

The new AIBO LM series
is differentiated from its predecessors by its friendlier, more affectionate
look. Sony expects this design departure to expand the AIBO product line,
appealing to a diversified consumer base.

"Sony appreciates
that consumer styles and needs are constantly evolving. Accordingly, the
AIBO LM series marks the beginning of a host of product line-up expansions
in the future that will satisfy a broad range of consumer tastes,"
said Victor Matsuda, vice president of Entertainment Robot America. "This
new series combines a playful design with an attractive price, which we
believe will help deliver on our vision of changing the face of home entertainment."

To coincide with the
worldwide release of the AIBO LM series, an animated television program
starring the two main robotic dogs has been planned to air this October
in Japan on Fuji Television Network. Japanese users with the AIBO LM series
will be able to participate in a unique TV experience that enables the
robot to respond to sounds from the animated program.

Disney to Auction
Lunch with Roy Disney!
(by digitalmediafx.com) Disney is auctioning off a lunch with Roy Disney
that includes a tour of Disney Feature Animation. Along with lunch at
the exclusive Rotunda within the Disney Studios, the winning bidder will
also get a behind-the-scenes tour of Disney's Feature Animation, where
dozens of acclaimed animated feature films have been produced. Lunch with
Roy Disney and the Feature Animation tour will be up for bid from Sept.
24, through Oct. 1, to celebrate the DVD release of Snow White.
When the auction starts, Digital Media FX will reannounce it and link
to it.

"A pair of 12-foot-tall,
inflatable pink bunnies greet visitors to "My Reality: Contemporary
Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation," an engaging if uneven
show currently on view at the Brooklyn Museum. On a recent afternoon,
a little girl in braids and a checkered pink dress stood mesmerized before
them. Nearby, a wall label explained that the work, an installation by
artist Momoyo Torimitsu, embodied the Japanese aesthetic of kawaii, or
cuteness, but she seemed to grasp the concept intuitively..."